Claire Foy Spins Into Action

Nothing here feels especially fresh, but the action clips along smartly, with Salander using her hacking skills in wildly creative ways, when she’s not inflicting punishment — or once again, absorbing it — from the villains, whose backstory is also woven into hers.

Even with the bleak Swedish surroundings the film has sacrificed some of the texture that distinguished prior adventures, but compensates for that with Foy’s flinty performance, in a role that — especially contrasted with her other current showcase in “First Man” — provides a pretty impressive demonstration of her range.

Of course, relaunching franchises is never a slam dunk — this year’s “Tomb Raider” relaunch comes to mind — and there’s a small-boned feel to this latest incarnation, which, other than Foy, features more firepower than star power.

At the very least, Foy’s insertion into the franchise works, in a vehicle that delivers enough of the requisite thrills to be eminently watchable. That’s a reasonably good start, if not necessarily an assurance that we’ll see this “Girl” again.

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” premieres Nov. 9 in the U.S. It’s rated R.